Sowing dissension among family members

23-6-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

What are the punishments for people who are happy when other families are having strained relations? These hypocrites are talking at both sides to further the anger of family members. Sorry to say they are double headed snakes.

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

If this enjoyment is without backbiting or sowing dissension and hatred between Muslims, then the person is not punished for it, as the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: " Indeed Allah has forgiven the whispers of my Ummah (Muslim nation) (will not hold them accountable) as long as they do not talk about it or act according to it." Reported by Bukhari and Muslim.

But this enjoyment is evidence about the sickness of the heart of this person, as it is not a clean heart. And on The Day of Judgement no person will be saved except the one with a clean heart. But if this enjoyment is accompanied with backbiting and the like, then the doer is subject to a severe punishment, and to the threat and warning of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) as he said: "A backbiter will not enter paradise." (The backbiter is the slanderer) reported by Bukhari and Muslim. A backbiter is also from the soldiers of Satan because he is doing the job of Satan inside the Muslim community.

Imam Muslim reported that Jabir said: "I heard the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) saying: "Satan has indeed lost hope that the people who pray would worship him in the Arab peninsula, but has not lost hope in sowing dissension and hatred between them."

Allah knows best.